Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brownsville, TX and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Brownsville, TX: $1,752 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Brownsville, TX
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Brownsville, TX Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Brownsville, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$1,752

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brownsville, TX and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Brownsville, TX and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,752 in Brownsville, TX versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Brownsville, TX $1,752
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,612 in Brownsville, TX versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Brownsville, TX $2,612
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,472 in Brownsville, TX versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Brownsville, TX $3,472
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Brownsville, TX costs roughly 29% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brownsville, TX 29% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.13 $10.13

$17.59 €15.76

-42.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.9 $59.9

$67.5 €60.5

-11.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.95 $7.95

$13.53 €12.12

-41.24%

Cappuccino

$4.03 $4.03

$3.19 €2.86

26.33%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.91 €2.61

-30.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.89 €1.70

6.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.05 $5.05

$4.01 €3.59

25.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 $5.10

$4.53 €4.06

12.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.31 €1.17

-35.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 $2.24

$2.02 €1.81

10.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.85 €1.66

20.00%

Eggs

$2.83 $2.83

$4.83 €4.33

-41.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.32 $9.32

$16.74 €15.00

-44.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.84 $12.84

$9.12 €8.17

40.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 $9.11

$19.64 €17.60

-53.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 $2.61

$2.98 €2.67

-12.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 $2.29

$2.02 €1.81

13.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 $1.67

$2.70 €2.42

-38.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.80 €2.51

-29.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 $2.90

$2.09 €1.87

38.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.07 €1.85

-48.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.46 €1.31

-30.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.94 €0.84

8.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.57 $9.57

$6.87 €6.16

39.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.35 $7.35

$7.89 €7.07

-6.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.41 €1.26

45.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.54 €2.27

-12.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.99 €2.68

38.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.49 €1.34

-48.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.80 €1.61

-52.22%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.9K $28.9K

$33.2K €29.7K

-12.89%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$24.3K $24.3K

$31.7K €28.4K

-23.26%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$162 $162

$180 €162

-10.42%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$37.04 $37.04

$13.84 €12.40

167.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.4 $67.4

$33.70 €30.20

99.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.89 $49.89

$51.5 €46.16

-3.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

Cinema Ticket

$11.78 $11.78

$10.99 €9.85

7.19%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$595 $595

$917 €821

-35.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.7 $78.7

$87.0 €78.0

-9.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.47 $44.47

$38.51 €34.51

15.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.8 $75.8

$106 €94.8

-28.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 $96.5

$120 €107

-19.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$944 $944

$1,699 €1,523

-44.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$796 $796

$1,355 €1,214

-41.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,656 $1,656

$2,603 €2,332

-36.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,384 $1,384

$2,062 €1,848

-32.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,860 $1,860

$6,915 €6,196

-73.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,856 $1,856

$5,128 €4,595

-63.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,159 $3,159

$2,211 €1,981

42.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.48

3.28

97.56%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Brownsville, TX: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Brownsville, TX

$796 45.5%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 70.2% $559

Groceries & Markets

Brownsville, TX

$271 15.4%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 19% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brownsville, TX

$266 15.2%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 14.3% $38

Eating Out

Brownsville, TX

$205 11.7%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 30.8% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Brownsville, TX

$133 7.6%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 18.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Brownsville, TX

$73 4.2%

Barcelona

$74 3% 0.1% $0

Getting Around

Brownsville, TX

$8 * 0.5%

Barcelona

$48 2% 507% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $944 in Brownsville, TX and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brownsville, TX pays 43% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $60 in Brownsville, TX vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $271 vs $322 per month, with Brownsville, TX cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brownsville, TX

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

14:11 2:11 PM

7 h ahead of Brownsville, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

186,738

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Brownsville, TX Barcelona 8,880 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Brownsville, TX
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Brownsville, TX vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,752 in Brownsville, TX and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Brownsville, TX is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 43% higher in Brownsville, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $944 in Brownsville, TX versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $595 in Brownsville, TX versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Brownsville, TX – a meal for two runs $60 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Brownsville, TX gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.